Weesen

August 4, 2017

Today was supposed to be an easy day. And it was, except between MP 6.5 and 8.0! Or thereabouts. We were planning to ride 34 miles and climb 1100 feet, and that sounds easy enough. But if that 1100 feet occurs all at once, it can make for at least a tough section.

Today's ride to Weesen.

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And that's sort of how it was today. We slept well, had a nice breakfast, and headed for our crossing of the Sihlsee, only to be disappointed! The Viaduktstrasse, as it is known locally, was closed! Closed for repairs. That was disappointing, as I like long bridge crossings like this one, especially across the middle of a lake. We had already traveled over a mile before there was any warning of the impending detour. And even then, it was only at the top of the hill at the turnoff for the bridge. I won't say there was no signage, but the signage provided was not clear and did not offer a detour route (and again, mind you, this is on a national bicycle route!). So we descended to the shoreline, admired the bridge, and decided on an alternate route. Not that I didn't seriously consider jumping the barricade, but after some observation, I decided that was not the best course today.

Our first heads-up that something was not right today. Of course, I had to investigate.

But no dice. No passage today. Time for Plan B!

If I hadn't spied a work crew actually out on the bridge working, I probably would have just proceeded . . . for the view if nothing else. But not only was there a crew, but also a large rig blocking the way. So back up the hill and back the way we had come. After a few miles, we found a nice lakeside road that would recover our route in about five miles. Net add: two miles, so no big deal. And it was just as beautiful, although I was really looking forward to crossing that bridge!

Either way around the lake was fine with us once we had our revised route laid out.

Our route recovery point occurred at the point where we turned off the lake to cross "the mountain pass" to Zürichsee and Rapperswil. I say "the mountain pass" because, at the time, I didn't know the name. But it, of course, has one! Etzelpass, which has some historical significance . . . and great views (of course).

We started out going downhill to our second crossing of the Sihl River, having crossed it once already as we came around the lake and over a dam. Then we had a slow climb up and over a hill that resulted in a very mean descent to our third crossing of the Sihl and a spectacular covered bridge, the Tüfelsbrugg am Etzel, also known as the Devil's Bridge.

Our first descent and second crossing of the Sihl River. Note the bike lane for the climbing direction.

And our second descent. If you look closely, you can see a cyclist climbing towards us.

The Tüfelsbrugg am Etzel, or Devil's Bridge.

But we had to pay dearly for that blast of a descent with a mostly mean climb up to the ridge overlooking Zürichsee. The climb was a little over a mile long and not so bad in retrospect. But compared to the rest of the day, it was notable!

Looking back after climbing up from Tüfelsbrugg am Etzel, which is buried somewhere in the folds of earth below us! But you can see the descent to it on the far hillside! Looks like that cyclist made it up that climb!

Notable because the descent into Rapperswil was at least six miles long and 1700 feet of drop! Well worth the climb, I guess. But we saw several people going the other way, some more loaded up than we were! The descent was a little harrowing at times, steep with many switchbacks, particularly closer to the bottom.

The top of the climb had rolling terrain that included a short passage through this very nicely wooded section.

The long descent to Zürichsee and Rapperswil. Six and one-half miles! A lot more descending today than climbing!

I have been to Rapperswil once before, in 2010, when I biked from Frankfurt am Main to Basel and then on to Lucerne and Munich. I spent a night there and have fond memories of my visit. So back again, across the long bridge crossing Zürichsee, to the main square, but this time, only for lunch.

And it was a good lunch. Pasta with a ricotta cheese and pesto sauce. It fit the bill nicely. Further, on the way out of town, we decided to drop by the tourist office (located in the same square) and see what they could offer in the way of locating us lodging in Liechtenstein. We weren't sure they would make a reservation for us "outside of the country." Later, I started referring to Liechtenstein as "The Lost Canton of Switzerland." Long story short, success. On to Weesen!

The rest of the ride was a breeze, although the miles along the lake south of Rapperswil were a bit boring. The trail follows the railroad the entire way to the lake's end with little opportunity for unobstructed views. But once past that section, it opens up nicely, and the ride to Weesen is bucolic and flat! Amazingly so, given the huge mountains all around. But if you follow the river to Weesen that connects the two lakes, you will have a very pleasant ride!

After seven miles down the not-so-scenic lakeshore, we broke into the plains beyond.

And after a bit, a hard turn to the right for Weesen. Look at that woodpile!

The trail rejoined the rail line as we closed in on Weesen.

Weesen sits on another of what I would call a rugged lake. The mountains come down from the Alps right to the shoreline. It looks very foreboding.

The south shoreline of Walensee. One hotel we considered, and fortunately did not take, is the white structure seen in the distance and up in the mountains on the far shore.

But that is something to worry about tomorrow. Tonight, we worry about dinner! We were staying a bit to the east of town, as we had some challenges finding lodging. But better to be on this side rather than the far side, as that would have been a tough climb to anything! As it was, we only had to walk a short distance to dinner from Hotel-Restaurant Hirschen. And the weather was nice. We ate outside!

Our arrival at Hotel-Restaurant Hirschen in Weesen.

Today's ride: 36 miles (58 km)
Total: 743 miles (1,196 km)

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